How We Can Help the Ebola Outbreak

With the recent Ebola outbreak affecting parts of West Africa it is important that people from all countries are aware of how they can help to prevent, minimise and potentially eradicate the Ebola virus.

What is the Ebola Virus?
The Ebola virus is a severe illness that can often be fatal, it is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads through human to human transmission, generally through contact with bodily fluids such as blood.

Finding a Vaccine or Treatment
Finding a treatment or vaccine for a virus or disease can be an unbelievably difficult process and it is no different with Ebola, there are various tests that need to be done in order to deem a treatment or vaccine safe to be used and this can take years to be successful.

Obviously the eradication of the virus is not something that any normal person has the capacity to do and that is why there are many organisations involved in the fight to find a suitable treatment or vaccine. You can support these organisations, such as UNICEF, by donating to UNICEF’s Ebola appeal or research organisations.

Prevention
One of the first ways that people can avoid the spread of the Ebola virus is to avoid areas that have been known to have the disease or have had a recent outbreak of the virus, a good example of this is Guinea or Sierra Leone. It is best to avoid these places until it is known for sure that the disease is under control in that particular place or new methods are conceived to treat or cure the virus

Obviously some people will not be able to avoid such places for obvious reasons, but if you know somebody that has been to one of these affected areas recently, then it is best to keep an eye on them, so that any signs of the virus can be detected early and treatment administered as soon as possible.

The next step is to ensure that others that have been exposed to are also notified and monitored closely to ensure that they have not contracted the virus and can receive adequate medical attention if necessary. This is why it is important to understand the symptoms, as the best chance of fighting the disease is to detect it early.